SYDNEY    -   Pakistan cricket team produced another ruth­less, dominant and clin­ical performance to de­feat New Zealand by seven wickets to qual­ify for their first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final since lifting the coveted trophy at the Lord’s in 2009 Rizwan then stroked their maiden half-centuries in the mega event and demonstrated why they are the most destruc­tive and devastating T20I open­ing pair by putting on 105 runs in 12.4 overs – their ninth cen­tury stand in 51 matches - as Pa­kistan romped to victory with five balls to spare. 

Pakistan’s chances of pro­gressing in the event were ruled out by the critics and experts fol­lowing heart-breaking last-ball losses to India and Zimbabwe. Nonetheless, Babar Azam’s side showed what they were capa­ble and actually made of when they stormed back to defeat the Netherlands and South Africa. 

After the Netherlands gave them a lease of life by defeating South Africa, Pakistan pounced on the opportunity to storm into the semifinals by first out­classing Bangladesh before routing New Zealand in front of a full-house at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday. 

Pakistan’s fairytale run in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 has been identical to their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 1992 campaign, when they had to beat Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, and hope a cou­ple of other results also go in their way so that they could reach the semifinals. It hap­pened exactly how the doc­tor had ordered and Pakistan defeated New Zealand in the semi-final by four wickets and England in the final by 22 runs to lift their first major ICC title. 

Sunday’s appearance in Mel­bourne against the winner of second semifinal between En­gland and India will be Paki­stan’s third participation in a T20 World Cup final. They had previously finished runners-up in Johannesburg in 2007, be­fore winning at Lord’s two years later. Only Sri Lanka is the country that has featured in three T20 World Cup finals (2009, 2012 and 2014), while England, India and the West In­dies have previously appeared in two finals each. 

Chasing 153 for victory in 20 overs, Babar and Rizwan put behind below-par scores in the initial matches by provid­ing Pakistan a solid and con­vincing 105-run opening start. Babar cashed in on the drop on the first ball by scoring a 42-ball 53 before holing out to Daryl Mitchell off Trent Boult. His innings included seven glo­rious boundaries. Rizwan de­parted 27 runs later at the score of 132 in 17 overs after scoring a sublime 57 from 43 balls with five fours. 

However, young Muhammad Haris continued to play the way he plays the best before falling two runs short of victory after scoring 30 off 26 balls with two fours and a six. This included 11 runs on the last three balls of the 18th over bowled by Lock­ie Ferguson after Pakistan had needed 19 runs from 15 balls. 

Earlier, Shaheen Shah Afri­di took the wicket of Finn Al­len (four) on the third ball of his eventful first over for the sev­enth time in his T20I career and then added the prized scalp of Kane Williamson in his final over and 17th of the innings to finish with impressive figures of 2-24. This was a follow-up to 4- against Bangladesh that took his tally of wickets in his comeback event to 10 at an economy rate of 6.17. 

SCORES IN BRIEF

PAKISTAN 153-3, 19.1 overs (M Rizwan 57, Babar Azam 53, M Haris 30; Trent Boult 2-33) beat NEW ZEALAND 152-4, 20 overs (Daryl Mitchell 53*, Kane Wil­liamson 46; Shaheen Afridi 2-24) by 7 wickets